World War Cthulhu is a series of settings for Call of Cthulhu, each taking one of the conflicts of the 20th century to be its focus. Each of these settings stands alone, but they all exist as part of the same continuity, with plots, characters and events from one setting continuing to have ripples into the past and the future. And this means if you’ve played our Second World War setting, World War Cthulhu: The Darkest Hour, you’re going to want to check out our Kickstarter for World War Cthulhu: Cold War too.

World War Cthulhu: Cold War is a direct sequel to The Darkest Hour. The war against the axis powers might have been won, but the war against the other enemy – the powers of the Mythos – continues to rage in the shadows. The mysterious spymaster N, who directed the actions of the SOE agents who made up Network N during the Second World War, continues to orchestrate and usurp the activities of spies caught up in the Cold War to also do battle with the Mythos.

More than just the continuation of the story of the setting is the legacy of the characters you play. Just as your investigator from The Darkest Hour might once have been an investigator in a regular 1920s campaign, so too might your investigator in the Cold War once have served in Network N in the Cold War. This means that you can return to old favourites, catch up with previous investigators and bring them back to the gaming table some 30 years on. The World War Cthulhu: Cold War Core Setting Book has a dedicated section on doing just that.

Of course, this being the Cold War, loyalties have since shifted as the battlelines are redrawn between East and West. Investigators returning to this new conflict might find that old enemies are now allies, and former allies are implacable foes. Even N is playing a different game, and the missions he hands down can no longer be taken at face value. It's enough to make your investigator yearn for the simplicity of the war again, when you knew who your enemy was.

Part of the joy of running a World War Cthulhu campaign is to return to themes, locations and plots many years later, revisiting old haunts and seeing former theatres of war in a new light. A group’s favourite villain can be brought back as a wary ally, forcing the players into an uneasy alliance. An old Mythos threat might resurface, forcing the investigators to remember a past victory – or defeat.

Both The Darkest Hour and the Cold War settings form part of our wider World War Cthulhu line which covers a range of conflicts. You don’t need any other World War Cthulhu products to play The Darkest Hour or Cold War – they are standalone settings – but they form a part of the over-arching World War Cthulhu narrative. You will need a copy of Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu Rulebook to play.